Disable F1,F3, Etc Hotkeys in Windows 7 Enterprise

I contacted the manufacturer of my computer (an HP Pavilion laptop) and I found out that the f-keys are behaving this way because this is a function of the windows 7 OS.  This is not because there is a special app from HP installed on my computer that gives keys functions (it is automatic for me to uninstall all of the ____ HP puts on the computer when I get it and has been)

I would imagine that there are registry keys that need to be changed in order to disable these functions of the f-keys.  I wish I knew what registry keys would need changing.  As a side note, I am able to hit a "FUNCTION" key on the lower left hand corner of the laptop keyboard and then hit the f-keys to get regular f-key behavior - but this is too difficult for me when I am in a raid and pressing so many keys already.

I have not checked the BIOS - and I suppose this is something that I should do next - perhaps there is something in there that will allow me to change the behavior of this "function" key or reverse its role as mentioned on other posts in this forum.

Dyscordia, are you on a laptop?  I'm guessing so.  The laptop firmware can override the Function keys.  Some laptop makers require you to press an Fn key in conjunction with the F-keys to truely activate the F-function you want to trigger.  Sometimes this is customizable, sometimes it is not.  In any case, Windows 7 is not causing the issue.  You could wipe and put Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, or 7 on the computer:  all would behave exactly the same.  There was no change to the F-key handling in Windows 7.

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Do you have a hot key program running?  These typically run in the taskbar near the clock and are built to override the hotkeys on many computers, particularly eMachines, Acers, Asus, Dell, and Compaq all use these programs.  They are typically the root cause of the issue.

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The active program gets to choose what to do with the F keys.  They are in complete control.  Windows does not, and has not ever, controlled what happens when you press F1in some other program.  If you click the desktop (so that the desktopis the active program), pressing F1 will launch help, because that's what the desktop was designed to do.

But if you open another program, it gets to do whatever it wants when you press F1.

The reason it shows help when you press it on the website is that you're browseris the active program, so it gets to intercept that button and do whatever it wants with it.

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